1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a manufacturing line control system for controlling a slave side manufacturing line by use of a host computer system in a factory automation grade; and more particularly, to a manufacturing line control system for performing automation manufacturing line site, power saving production and stabilized manufacture of high quality products, and for improving workability, and for producing small amounts of different types of products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are schematic illustrations of robot systems used in conventional manufacturing line control systems. Various types of robot systems are used for producing various kinds of products. It has been an important technical task to achieve free and efficient operation of such types of robots in manufacturing lines.
The conventional system shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a kernel computer 1, a keyboard 2 as a man-machine interface, an input-output device for a CRT (cathode ray tube) 2, manipulation device 4, and an input-output terminal 5 for connecting associated devices. Computer 1 supplies control signals to servo controllers 6.sub.l -6.sub.n whose numbers correspond to articulation numbers of the robot in order to operate arm 7 of the robot. Further, in order to provide a high quality robot, whose operation simulates human labor, there are requisite functions such as the provision of two components for arm 7, and determination of operation by processing signals sent from a visual sensor such as a TV camera.
The system shown in FIG. 1 provides a kernel computer 1 which performs the latter function. However, in the robot system, computer 1 must perform several tens of thousands of operations per second with respect to data defined by cartesian coordinates, and accordingly, the computer is subjected to heavy load for simultaneously performing a plurality of operations of the arms, and picture image processing.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are illustrations of other conventional systems in which improvements have been made to overcome the drawbacks attendant to the FIG. 1 system. The system shown in FIG. 2 comprises a computer 1a exclusively used to operate arm 7 of a robot, a picture image processing system 1b which processes signals sent from a visual sensor 8, and a commercially available transmission line RS232C connecting computer 1a and image processing system 1b.
The system shown in FIG. 3 comprises a host computer 1, processors 1a,1b exclusively used to operate arms 7 of a robot, processors 1a, 1b being subordinate relative to computer 1, picture image processors 1c,1d for processing signals sent from visual sensors 8.
However, these conventional systems have been developed in connection with numerical control machine tools, and accordingly, these systems are incapable of performing highly cooperative operation. Furthermore, with these conventional systems, it is difficult to rapidly adjust the systems to handle different types of products passing through the manufacturing line, and to handle frequent changes of manufacturing products. That is, it would be difficult for the conventional computer, wherein simple processing such as numerical control can only be made, to conduct efficient operation, since voluminous information from the manufacturing line must be concurrently processed so as to handle the frequent changes in working conditions and in manufacturing products.
Moreover, it is necessary to process the information from the manufacturing line at high speeds, and to perform high speed processing within the computer in order to enhance the computer's operational speed. Also, there is required improvement in memory access which is frequently conducted.